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Erin O’Toole says CSIS told him he would remain target of China ‘into the future’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:57 GMT

OTTAWA — Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole says Canada’s spy agency told him he would be a target of the Chinese government “into the future” for “an undetermined time.” O’Toole shared that detail today with MPs on a parliamentary committee probing the issue of foreign interference and the privilege of fellow parliamentarians. The study was launched amid media reports late last year and early this year that Beijing had allegedly meddled in Canada’s affairs during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. In May, the federal government confirmed a media report that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had information in 2021 that China’s government was looking to intimidate longtime Conservative MP Michael Chong, as well as his relatives in Hong Kong. That prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to say the spy agency needed to share such information with parliamentarians. O’Toole says he learned of Beijing’s like...

Africa’s fashion industry is booming, UNESCO says in new report but funding remains a key challenge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:57 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Africa’s fashion industry is rapidly growing to meet local and international demands but a lack of adequate investment still limits its full potential, UNESCO said Thursday in its new report released at this year’s Lagos Fashion Week show.Currently valued at $15.5 billion worth of exports annually, the earnings from the continent’s fashion industry could triple over a decade with the right investment and infrastructure, according to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, who launched the organization’s first report on fashion in Africa in Nigeria’s economic hub of Lagos.With a young population of 1.3 billion people set to double by 2050, the continent’s fashion industry has also proven to be both “a powerful lever for the promotion of cultural diversity (and) also a way to empower young people and women,” said Azoulay.Across the continent, fashion continues to grow on various fronts – including in movies and films – in the form of textiles, garments as w...

Grand jury indicts Illinois man on hate crime, murder charges in attack on Muslim mom, son

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:57 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A man accused of murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in an attack on a Palestinian-American woman and her son was indicted Thursday by an Illinois grand jury.The eight-count indictment against Joseph Czuba, 71, tracks the charges that were filed soon after the fatal stabbing of Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, and the wounding of Hanaan Shahin on Oct. 14. Authorities said the victims were targeted because of their Muslim faith.Shahin told police that Czuba, her landlord in Plainfield in Will County, was upset over the Israel-Hamas war and attacked them after she had urged him to “pray for peace.”Shahin, 32, is recovering from multiple stab wounds. Hundreds of people attended her son’s funeral on Oct. 16.The murder charge in the indictment against Czuba describes the boy’s death as the result of “exceptionally brutal or heinous behavior.”Defense attorney George Lenard has said he won’t comment on the case outside court. Czuba, who is in jail, is expect...

Sikh activists in B.C. emboldened by Trudeau’s comments on India ahead of referendum

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:57 GMT

SURREY, B.C. — Organizers of an upcoming vote on an independent Sikh state say Canada’s allegations of India’s links to the killing of activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar have significantly bolstered vocal support for their cause.Sikhs For Justice’s U.S.-based lawyer, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, says many supporters for Khalistan, a term referring to an independent Sikh state in India, had been reluctant to voice their opinions over fear of being labelled a terrorist.Pannun says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement last month that India may be involved in Nijjar’s killing has generated discussions in countries such as the United States and Great Britain on India’s handling of the incident, allowing supporters to vocalize their positions without fear.Sikhs For Justice will hold a second round of voting for its unofficial referendum on Khalistani independence on Sunday at the gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., where Nijjar was shot on June 18.The first vote in S...

How Tyson Bagent made history for his home state Sunday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:57 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — He'd already become the first rookie quarterback to win a game in his debut for the Bears in 19 years on Sunday.But thanks to a friend, Tyson Bagent found out that he'd made some history for his home state, too."Last night I was on the phone with a dude from Huntington. He said he had done a bunch of research and that I was the first West Virginia-born and raised quarterback to ever start in the NFL," "I was sitting back on my couch like 'Wow, that's pretty cool. That's pretty amazing."Per Pro Football Reference, that's indeed the case.The statistics site lists just four quarterbacks who were born in West Virginia playing in the NFL, but none who grew up in the state ended up getting a start.Joe Gilliam was born in Charleston, West Virginia and started seven games with the Steelers from 1972-1975, but he was raised in Nashville, Tennessee. Paul Rickards of Wheeling, West Virginia played in just three games for the Rams in 1948 without a start. Fred Wyant of Westo...

Escaped murder suspect in custody after 6 weeks on the run: police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (WDVM) -- Police said Thursday that Christopher Haynes, a man accused of murder who escaped custody at George Washington University Hospital in September, was in custody.In a news conference Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Marshals said that Haynes was taken into custody around 10:30 a.m. in Oxon Hill, Maryland, more than six weeks after he first escaped. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Two weeks on the run, police still searching for escaped DC homicide suspect Christopher Haynes Haynes escaped custody on Sept. 6 while he was being treated for an ankle injury. Police said that an officer was changing Haynes' handcuffs when he assaulted the officer and ran away.Haynes had previously been taken into custody by the Metropolitan Police Department in Manassas, Virginia, on a warrant out of the District of Columbia for the killing of Brent Hayward, 33, on Aug. 12. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mother ‘fearful’ after son’s accused murderer escapes DC police custody During Thursday's news conference, ...

Democrats renew assault weapon ban talks after Maine mass shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – After the latest mass shooting, Democrats in Washington are calling for new gun restrictions, saying current levels of gun violence can't continue. But it's unlikely they'll be successful."Gun violence has terrorized and traumatized so many of our communities in this country," voiced Vice President Kamala Harris. "It does not have to be this way."Democrats are now renewing their calls for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) points to the dozens of people who were quickly killed or injured Wednesday night."I want to do what'll work and to me, the most clear danger are these high capacity magazines," noted Sen. King. "High capacity magazines. That's what enables a shooter in a case like this to just keep on shooting."But in the early aftermath of the shooting, Republicans said the focus needs to be elsewhere."The most important thing we can do right now is to put our arms around the victims and their families, and ...

Ronald McDonald Family Room opens at Advocate Children's Hospital in Park Ridge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:57 GMT

PARK RIDGE, Ill. — Families with kids at Advocate Children's Hospital in Park Ridge now have a new place to stay. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana officially unveiled its newest family room Wednesday morning. The 4,000-square-foot facility has private sleeping rooms and a communal kitchen. The family room is located adjacent to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Children's Hematology-Oncology Infusion Center.  More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch "We believe that when a child is sick, the family is sick, so we exist so families can get better together," said RMHC-CNI CEO Holly Buckendahl.Ronald McDonald House Charities anticipates the room will see more than 600 family check-ins and 16,000 visits in its first year.The ribbon cutting came one day after Chicago Bears players Bill Murray and Collin Johnson visited patients at Advocate Children’s Hospital along with Staley da Bear.Sign up for our Medical Watch newsletter. This daily update inclu...

Stephen King on Maine mass shooting: 'Stop electing apologists for murder'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:57 GMT

(The Hill) — Author Stephen King railed against gun violence in the wake of Wednesday's mass shooting in Maine, calling for people to "stop electing apologists for murder." "It's the rapid-fire killing machines, people," King wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "This is madness in the name of freedom. Stop electing apologists for murder."At least 16 people were killed in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday in a mass shooting incident at two locations. Local authorities said the suspect remains at large and residents were instructed to shelter in place. Firearms instructor Robert Card, 40, has been named as a person of interest. Maine suspect still at large after 18 killed in deadliest shooting of 2023 Maine State Police expanded the shelter-in-place advisory overnight Thursday to include residents of Lisbon after finding a vehicle of interest there. The shelter-in-place notice was also expanded to include the town of Bowdoin, which is about 20 miles south of Ma...

$150K reward offered in armed robbery of mail carrier in Harvey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:57 GMT

HARVEY, Ill.  — The U.S. Postal Inspection Service Postal is offering a $150,000 reward to catch those responsible for holding up a mail carrier in south suburban Harvey.Postal inspectors said the armed robbery occurred Monday, just after 4:45 p.m., in the 14800 block of S. Lexington Ave.A male with a dark complexion, believed to be 30-35 years of age, with a medium build, was reportedly wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt with matching brown sweatpants. Postal inspectors said the male fled the scene in a silver Chevrolet traveling with a dark blue Hyundai Elantra with extensive rear-end damage. Authorities said the male suspect reportedly fled the scene in a silver Chevrolet traveling with a dark blue Hyundai Elantra with extensive rear-end damage. (Photo: USPIS) USPS touts crackdown on postal crime, carrier robberies, with hundreds of arrests Authorities believe the Hyundai Elantra driver was a woman with a young child in the back seat. The suspects are considered armed and danger...